Name: Zucchini Lasagna with Ground Beef (Keto-friendly)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: serves 6 people
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp lard (optional); 1 tbsp bacon, finely chopped; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped; 1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped; 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf; 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 350 g ground beef (12.5 ounces); 1/2 tsp tomato paste; 1 tomato, finely chopped; 200 g tomato purée (7 ounces); 150 ml beef stock or water (2/3 cup); 3 tbsp heavy cream; 4 medium zucchini; 3 cloves of garlic; 1 tbsp chopped parsley; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp butter (30g / 1 ounces); 250 g Ricotta cheese (1 cup or 9 ounces); 100 g heavy cream (3.5 ounces); 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 40 g Pecorino Romano cheese (1.4 ounces); 60 g Gouda cheese (2.1 ounces) + 40g (1.4 ounces)for sprinkling on top; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 egg yolk

Zucchini Lasagna with Ground Beef (Keto-friendly)

Lasagna is my all-time favorite dish. The classic version. Perfectly rolled out fresh pasta, rich and incredibly delicious bolognese sauce and creamy Béchamel sauce. Gosh, I love it. So no, I definitely won’t say that this Zucchini Lasagna is better or tastes the same. It doesn’t not. It’s different. But with that being said, this Zucchini Lasagna with homemade zucchini noodles, rich beef meat sauce, and luscious cheese and ricotta sauce is absolutely divine. It’s incredibly rich in flavor, creamy, yet fresh and healthy(er). Many of you who read our blog regularly know that we have a vegetable garden at home and this year we promised ourselves to make more veggie dishes. Zucchini is growing fast, so we needed to figure out a way to use more than one in a recipe. That’s how we came up with Zucchini Lasagna. So we have zucchini (vegetables), we have meat and we have cheese. What more does a gourmet foodie need? Only some free time to make it at home from scratch. But don’t worry, you can make the meat sauce up to 2 months ahead and grill the zucchini up to a day ahead as well, so that reduces the time of cooking. This is an amazing crowd-pleaser, family meal, that’s perfect for all of you who follow a keto or low-carb diet as well.

Zucchini Lasagna with Ground Beef

We are so so excited to share this recipe with you guys today. This is a wheat-free, pasta-free lasagna that is still rich, creamy and overall, super tasty. We love this easy Zucchini Lasagna recipe because it is:

very creamy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious
zucchini noodles aren't bland and boring, but marinated and delicious
the ground beef meat sauce is rich, satisfying and slightly sweet
the cheese sauce is thick and creamy
healthy(er) lasagna alternative
delicious family casserole meal
stores well in a fridge (up to 2 days)
gluten-free, keto-friendly and low-carb recipe
full of vegetables

How to slice zucchini for lasagna

For this Lasagna, it's best to use medium-size zucchini. It's important that they are sliced as equally as possible, that way they will be baked equally fast as well. The easiest way to achieve that is by using a mandoline slicer. A mandoline slicer is such a good kitchen utensil to have at home. You can slice a variety of vegetables in a short period of time, no matter the shape or size. We have partnered with Slovenian company Status Metlika for this recipe and we truly adore their products and their mini Mandoline slicer. It's high quality, affordable and easy to store. We choose the mini version, but they have a larger one as well and a slicer that creates julienne shaped veggies too.

How to dry out zucchini for lasagna?

Once your zucchini is sliced, place a grill over high heat and grill them on each side. Don't season the zucchini yet and don't add any fat to the grill pan. It will take about 5 minutes to grill all the zucchini noodles. Marinate the noodles with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside for about 10 minutes for zucchini to marinate. Then squeeze the zucchini to release any excess water. Drain and use in your zucchini lasagna.

How to make zucchini lasagna

Zucchini Lasagna is so easy to make. Prepare all the ingredients and a 25 cm x 20 cm or 8 x 10 inch baking dish. Assemble your lasagna in this order:

Meat sauce
Grilled zucchini
Meat sauce
Cheese sauce
Grilled zucchini
Meat sauce
Cheese sauce
Grilled zucchini
Meat sauce
Cheese sauce
Grilled zucchini
Meat sauce
Cheese sauce
Grilled zucchini
Cheese sauce
Shredded cheese

How long to bake zucchini lasagna

When your lasagna is assembled and ready to be baked, cover it with baking paper and then add another layer of aluminum foil (make sure the foil doesn't touch the food). Transfer your baking dish to a large baking sheet. Place the lasagna in a preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 190 °C or 375 °F (covered), then remove the foil and parchment paper and bake for additional 10 - 15 minutes at 200 °C or 390 °F. Remove the baked Zucchini Lasagna with Ground Beef from the oven and let stand for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Store, Freeze and Make-ahead tips

Store any leftovers chilled in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 2 days. We don't recommend freezing the lasagna, but you can make the ground beef meat sauce up to 2 months ahead, freeze it and then use when needed. You can also prepare the zucchini one day ahead and keep them covered in a fridge.

Try these delicious zucchini recipes too

Thanks to Status Metlika for the amazing mini mandoline slicer. All the opinions are ours and we only share our honest opinions and recommendations for great products that we actually use.

Ingredients

beef meat sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp lard (optional)

1 tbsp bacon, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped

1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped

1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

350 g ground beef (12.5 ounces)

1/2 tsp tomato paste

1 tomato, finely chopped

200 g tomato purée (7 ounces)

150 ml beef stock or water (2/3 cup)

3 tbsp heavy cream

zucchini

4 medium zucchini

3 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp olive oil

Cheese sauce

2 tbsp butter (30g / 1 ounces)

250 g Ricotta cheese (1 cup or 9 ounces)

100 g heavy cream (3.5 ounces)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

40 g Pecorino Romano cheese (1.4 ounces)

60 g Gouda cheese (2.1 ounces) + 40g (1.4 ounces)for sprinkling on top

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg yolk

Tools and equipment

large skillet or pan

mandoline (slicer)

grill pan

saucepan

25 cm x 20 cm or 8 x 10 inch baking dish

parchment paper

aluminum foil

METHOD

cook the vegetables for meat sauce

Place a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil, lard (optional), finely chopped bacon, finely chopped onion, finely chopped celery stalk, finely chopped bell pepper, and a sprig of thyme. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the finely chopped garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.
meat sauce

Increase the heat, add the ground beef and cook for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, diced tomato, tomato purée, beef stock or water and stir to combine. Reduce the heat and season with bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 45 - 50 minutes. Stir the heavy cream into the meat sauce the last 10 minutes.

Tip

Heavy cream will make the sauce creamy and richer.
Zucchini

Using a mandoline, slice the zucchini into 2 mm or 1/16 inch thick slices. Place a grill pan over high heat. Add the zucchini noodles and grill them for about 1 minute on each side. Make sure they aren't too crowded. Transfer to a clean plate. Drizzle the zucchini noodles with olive oil. Add chopped parsley, chopped garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for about 10 minutes for zucchini to marinate. Then squeeze the zucchini to release any excess water.
cheese sauce

Add butter and ricotta to a saucepan. Place over low heat. Stir to combine and cook for a minute, then add in the heavy cream, 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder, bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil (still on low heat), then immediately remove from the heat and stir in the shredded Pecorino Romano cheese and shredded Gouda cheese. Stir using a wire whisk until the cheese melts and the cheese sauce is thick and creamy. Add the baking powder and egg yolk. Stir to combine.
Assemble Zucchini Lasagna

To assemble the zucchini lasagna, prepare a 25 cm x 20 cm or 8 x 10 inch baking dish. Start with a layer of ground beef meat sauce (about 3 tbsp), followed by a layer of zucchini, meat sauce, cheese sauce, then again a layer of zucchini, meat sauce, cheese sauce. Continue with the layering until you have 4 layers of each component. The last layer should be cheese sauce topped with shredded Gouda cheese. Cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil (make sure the foil doesn't touch the food). Place in a preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 190 °C or 375 °F (covered), then remove the foil and parchment paper and bake for additional 10 - 15 minutes at 200 °C or 390 °F.
Serve

Remove the baked Zucchini Lasagna with Ground Beef from the oven and let stand for 5 - 10 minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 2 days.

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